Hi guys, this is my first post on the BE forum so I apologise if my questions have been asked a thousand times already.
Myself and partner are thinking on moving to Spain to teach for a year. We are both fully qualified Primary School teachers and are looking for a new, stress free experience.

Having researched the job market in Spain, there seems to be a lot of availability in Valencia. Does anyone on the forum live there or have experiences of Valencia? Most jobs seem to be paying around 1500 euros a month. Is this a liveable salary? If my partner secures a job we could be looking at 3000 euros a month, so fingers crossed.

There doesn't seem to be much recent information available so thought I would check on here.

Many thanks

Valencia is going through a big economic crisis at the moment, even more so than the rest of Spain

The good news is this means that rents are really low and 3,000 euros per month will be more than enough. The bad news is that the newbuild parts of the city are pretty desolate and the town council and regional council are pretty much bankrupt

I was offered a job in Valencia a few years ago, but didnt like the city when I visited for the job interview. However, many people on here rave about it

Thanks for the quick reply, much appreciated. Also seems to be a lot of jobs in Madrid and Seville but I imagine Madrid is comparable with the costs of other major cities like London in terms of rent?

Renting will be much more expensive in Madrid than in Valencia, but it is still way cheaper than London

For example, a pretty good 2 bed flat will cost maybe 1000 euros per month in Madrid, and 700 euros in Valencia

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

I hate cities with a passion so it took a long time for my husband to persuade me to visit Valencia which is about 30 minutes away. Now I am totally hooked and probably visit it once or twice every month. The buildings are fantastic, the roads are wide and when there are events such as Falla and many of the roads are closed it is even better. The people are friendly, shops are a mix of old traditional local shops and all of the high street ones too, plenty of very reasonable restaurants so never short of choice.

I love it.

Rosemary

Thank you for the information and warm welcome Rosemary. We are after a change of pace of life really, I know that Valencia is a city but it sounds like it's ticking all the right boxes for us.

Thanks too cricketman

Well, you wouldn't really consider living in London and working as a teacher on a salary of roughly £1236. I'm sure you can get a decent 1 bed in Valencia for €500, but you won't have much left at the end of the month. Doesn't the shool usually pay your accomodation? If you both find a job no worries and you can certainly enjoy city life with 2 salaries. If you have some savings and just want the experience, why not.

Wonderful city, wonderful area in general, with much more to offer in most respects than other cities and areas in Spain, IMHO.

Been in the area more than ten years, traveled and stayed in most other areas of Spain, many of them very nice, but as an all round permanent base with so much to see and do, wether for a country lover or a city person, I rate Valencia at least as good and probably much better than any other.

Cheers Dick Dastardly - currently respecting areas of the city to live. Any recommendations? Don't want to end up in a no-go area

Valencia is a lovely city. It has everything you would need along with a beautiful climate and a rich history. I've lived and worked here for 12 years now and I consider it my home. I have no intention of returning to Scotland! I've also lived in Barcelona and Madrid, but much prefer Valencia. It just has that laid-back, Spanish feeling to it. I actually reside in a quiet wee town called Godella, which is about 10 minutes by car from Valencia city centre, and connected by metro too. There are several (private) English schools in the surrounding area. I have a 4 bed, 2 bath semi-detached house with private garden and communal pool, which I rent for 750€ per month.

Here's a nice wee promo video for Valencia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9--c-NIUsE

Thanks a lot elfallero! The video link was great and gave me a taste if city life- it looks fantastic. Can you recommend any areas to live near/in the city itself? Also any information on monthly bills etc would be great!

Thanks all

Monthly bills? I'm a single dad with a 10 year old daughter. I guess I spend about 700€ a month on utilities, food, clothes, etc.

Just found some info on the net suggesting utility bill such as gas, electric etc are around €150 a month

Yup, that's about right for the utilities.